Switch arm grooving and flaring machine



Jan. 24, 1967 PAHL ET AL SWITCH ARM GROOVING AND FLARING MACHINE FiledDec.

4 Sheets-Sheet l fig 6 3O 23 9% 1 INVENTORS 1& JOHN 6i, PAHL BY iM/L F,PIHL zdwdfiwm Jan. 24, 1967 J. G. PAHL ET AL 3,299,691

SWITCH ARM GROOVING AND FLARING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 24, 1967 J. G. PAH]. ET AL 3,299,991

SWITCH ARM GROOVING AND FLARING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 5 Jan. 24, 1967 J. G. PAHL. ET AL 3,299,691

SWITCH ARM GROOVING AND FLARING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,299,691 SWITCH ARM GROOVING ANDFLARING MACHINE John G. Pahl, 1624 E. Alpine Ave., Stockton, Calif.

95204, and Emil F. Pahl, 1025 lidan Ave, Stockton,

Calif. 95207 Filed Dec. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 416,788 10 Claims. (Ci. 72464)This invention relates in general to the machine finishing of one endportion of switch arms such as are used in pole-top disconnect switches,and which arms are formed of initially exteriorly smooth metallictubing.

As a component of a switch of the kind described, a switch arm isassembled in rigid relation with a disc type insulator having a centralsocket; one end portion of the arm-hereinafter called an arm-endbeingimmovably secured in such socket by means of a cementitious material.

While the cementitious material readily adheres or bonds to the socket,said arm-end must first be deformed from its initially exteriorly smoothcondition and in a manner to assure that the cementitious material willproperly hold the arm-end in the socket and against relative movement.

It is, therefore, the major object of this invention to provide a novelmachine operative to so deform the related arm-end before a switch armis assembled with the insulator; the deformation including sets oftangential grooves formed in spaced relation about the circumference ofthe arm-end and which grooves produce oflFset areas into which thecementitious material will pass to lock said arm-end in the insulatorsocket.

The machine includes opposed groove cutting chisels arranged to cut setsof tangential grooves 180 degrees apart in the arm-end, and anotherobject of the invention is to removably mount the switch arm on themachine in such a manner that by a simple adjustment of said switch armother sets of opposed tangential grooves can be cut in the arm-end 90degrees apart from the sets of grooves first cut.

An additional object of the invention is to provide the machine withmechanism, operable in conjunction with the groove cutting chisels, bymeans of which the open end of said arm-end may be swaged to a flare asis desirable to further assure of retention of the arm-end in the socketby the cementitious material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch arm groovingand flaring machine which is designed for ease and economy ofmanufacture, and for ready and convenient operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a practical,reliable, and durable switch arm grooving and flaring machine and onewhich is exceedingly eflective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the; drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the switch arm grooving and flaringmachine.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the machine, with theworking parts thereof in their initial retracted positions, and taken online 22 of FIG. 1.

3,299,691 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 FIG. 3 is a transverse sectionalelevation of the machine, taken on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view of the machine, taken on line 44 of FIG.2, but showing the working parts as advanced and acting on the arm-endto groove and flare the same.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but fragmentary and showing theworking parts as retracted following a grooving and flaring operation;the finished arm-end being in a retracted and removable position.

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation of an insulator, showing the grooved andflared arm-end as secured in the socket of such insulator.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters ofreference marked thereon, the machine to side groove and end flare thearm-end 1 of a switch arm 1a of metallic tubing comprises the following:

A supporting structure 2, on which a rigid base 3 of rectangular form ismounted, rests on and upstands from the floor. Corner posts 4 extendupward from the base 3 and support a rigid head block 5 parallel to thebase; the working parts of the machine being disposed between the base 3and head block 5.

Secured on the underside of the head block 5 is a horizontal plate 6which provides the support for a longitudinally extending horizontalpower cylinder 7 of the double-acting type. A piston 8 is slidable inthe cylinder and is rigid with a forwardly projecting piston rod 9. Thepiston rod 9 is allowed a very short stroke only; the length of suchstroke being limited by the engagement of a collar 10 on the piston rod9at the forward end of the piston 8with the adjacent end of the head 11of the cylinder. Secured on and projecting forwardly from the piston rod9 is a head 12 guided in a sleeve 13 fixed with the plate 6.

Rigid with and projecting centrally and forwardly from the head 12 is arelatively small diameter combination arm-end guide pin 14 which isdisposed mainly ahead of the sleeve 13. The pin 14 is of a size to fitsomewhat snugly into the arm-end 1 of a switch arm In, as shown in FIG.2, so as to guide such arm-end and to locate the same in position forside grooving and end flaring. To facilitate the guiding operation, theouter end of the pin 14 is tapered as shown at 15. The inner or base endof the pin 14 is formed with an outward flare 16 which limits theinitial advance of the arm-end onto the pin when the piston 8 andconnected parts are in a retracted position; such flare 16 having afurther vital function as will hereinafter be described.

Mounted on and upstanding from the base 3 is a power cylinder 17 whoseaxis, in the longitudinal plane of the machine, is disposed beyond orforwardly of the the sleeve 13 thereabove, as well as being intransverse alinement with the pin 14, as shown in FIG. 3. The piston 18of power cylinder 17 has a stroke greater than the diameter of thearm-end 1; the piston rod 19 projecting upwardly through the head of thecylinder and being secured on its upper end to a block or head 20.

Secured to and upstanding from the head 2 are transversely spacedgrooving chisels 21 formed on their facing sides with a number ofvertical and parallel relief grooves 22.

The chisels 21 are disposed lengthwise of the machine to engage thatportion of the arm-end 1 into which the pin 14 projects, while thespacing of the facing or adjacent sides of said chisels is somewhat lessthan the outside diameter of said arm-end but greater than the insidediameter thereof.

As the chisels 21 are symmetrically disposed relative to the pin 14 andthe arm-end 1 supported thereon, upward movement of the chiselsfrorntheir initial lowered position and by power cylinder 17-will cause themto cut sets of spaced, tangential notches or grooves 23 in the armend 1on opposite sides thereof; i.e. 180 degrees apart. In order to brace thechisels 21 against lateral spreading, they are backed by rigid guideplates 24, as shown in FIG. 3, and which guide plates are suitably andrigidly supported from the head block 5.

The pin 14 prevents the arm-end 1 from being buckled inwardly while thegrooves 23 are being cut. Also, to prevent an excessive pressure beingplaced on the arm end 1 and on said pin 14 during the groove cuttingoperation, a backing saddle 25 engages the pin-engaged extent of thearm-end 1 on the top. Said backing saddle, which is narrower than thearm-end 1 so as not to interfere with the full upward movement of thechisels, is slidably supported on and guided by the plate 6 for forwardmovement away from the sleeve 13 for the purpose which will appearhereinafter.

It is desirable that sets of the grooves 23 shall be cut in the arm-end1 in 90 degree spaced relation thereabout. In order to enable additionalgrooving to be carried out with accurate spacing of all of the sets ofthe grooves about the arm-end, the switch arm 1awhich beyond the arm-end1 is formed with a somewhat largeradius bend which disposes the otherend of the arm substantially parallel to but spaced widely from saidarm-end 1is alternately engaged by upper and lower stops 26 projectingfrom the same side of the block and base 3, respectively (see FIG. 1).These stops 26 are located, relative to the axis of rotation of theswitch arm 1a about the guide and locating pin 14, to position thearm-end 1 in rotative positons 90 degrees apart. In this manner-afteropposed sets of grooves 23 have been initially cut in the arm-end 1 withthe switch arm 1:: engaged with one or the other of the stops 26rotationof the switch arm through 90 degrees will cause it to engage the otherstop, enabling other sets of opposed grooves to be cut in the arm-end in90 degree spaced relation to the sets of grooves first cut. It will beappreciated that after the initial sets of opposed grooves have beencut, it is necessary to lower the chisels 21 so as to clear the arm-endand in order that the switch arm as a whole may be rotated to the otherposition preparatory to cutting said other sets of opposed grooves.

After the grooving operations have been effected, and before the chisels21 have been lowered, the head 12 is advanced by power cylinder 7 tocause the flare 16 of the pin 14 to swage a corresponding flare 27 onthe terminal part of arm-end 1. The adjacent vertical edges of thechisels 21 and saddle 25 are beveled off, as shown at 28, so as not tointerfere with the above flare swaging operation.

When both the side grooving and end flaring operations have beeneffected, head 12 is retracted, the chisels 21 are lowered, and theswitch arm 1a is pulled forward to disengage the arm-end 1 from the pin14. This movement of the switch arm also causes the saddle 25 to bepulled forward by the flare 27 which engages the adjacent end of saidsaddle. This pulling-forward movement is continued until the saddle 25abuts against a stop 29 depending from the block 5, as shown in FIG. 5.When the saddle 25 is thus engaged with said stop 29, the armend 1 isentirely clear of the pin 14 and the chisels 21 below, and may then belowered and disengaged from the saddle, and from the machine as a whole.Thence,

upon the saddle being shifted back to its initial position...

in engagement with the adjacent end of the sleeve 13,

4; and with the pin 14 retracted to its initial position, the machine isin condition to receive another arm-end for grooving and flaring.

As shown in FIG. 6, the arm-end 1grooved and flared as describedissecured in the oversize circular socket 30 of a disc type insulator 31by means of a suitable cementitious material 32, which fills all thespace between the arm-end and socket and bonds to the latter. Thematerial 32 also, of course, fills the grooves 23, thus preventing thearm-end from rotating in or escaping from the socket after such materialhas set. Additionally, the flare 27 on the arm-end assists in preventingsaid armend from pulling out through the material 32, besides generallycentrallylocating said arm-end in the socket 30.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a machineas substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention, as set. forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the machine, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. A machine, for tangentially grooving a tubular armend of a switcharm, comprising supporting and locating means for such arm-end, groovingchisels disposed in parallel relation on opposite sides of the supportedarmend tangential thereto and normally spaced therefrom, and meansconnected to the chisels to move the same tangentially of the arm-endinto and out of groove-cutting relation with the outer face of saidarm-end.

2. A machine, as in claim 1, in which the chisel moving means comprisesa power cylinder spaced from and axially alined with the axis of thesupported arm-end, a piston rod projecting from the cylinder toward saidarm-end, and a head on the outer end of the piston rod on which thechisels, at their base ends are fixed in laterally spaced and facingrelation.

3. A machine, as in claim 2, with fixed guide members backing thechisels opposite the arm-end and preventing lateral spreading of saidchisels.

4. A machine, as in claim 2, with a rigid saddle engaging the arm-end onthe face thereof opposite the cylinder.

5. A machine, as in claim 1, in which the tubular armend is turnable onthe supporting and locating means, and the switch arm back from saidarm-end is formed with a portion lying in the radial plane of sucharm-end but spaced therefrom; there being stop means on the machine toalternately engage said switch arm portion and limiting the rotation ofthe arm-end to an arc of degrees.

6. A machine, for tangentially grooving a tubular armend of a switcharm, comprising a rigid pin adapted to project into said tubular arm-endin slidably fitting relation, upstanding chisels normally disposed belowsaid armend when pin supported, the chisels being spaced apart adistance relative to the diameter of said arm-end so as to cuttangential grooves in opposite sides thereof when the chisels are raisedfrom their normal position, and a power actuated, vertically movableblock supporting the chisels at their lower ends for such raisingmovement,

7. A machine, as in claim 6, with means included in part with the pinfor end flare swaging the arm-end while said arm-end and normallyengaging the upper surface of the same, and means mounting the saddle onthe machine for horizontal movement to a position clear of the outer endof the pin.

9. A machine, for end flaring a tubular arm-end of a switch arm,comprising a pin disposed to receive the armend in slidably fittingrelation, means to removably maintain the arm-end in a stationaryposition, a swaging element on the base end of the pin to end flare thepin supported arm-end, and power means supporting and connected to thepin to advance the same a predetermined distance against said arm-end.

10. A machine, as in claim 9, in which the first named means comprisesspaced chisels operative to cut tangential grooves in opposite sides ofthe pin supported arm-end, and means mounting the chisels for movementinto and out of a groove-cutting position; said mounting means includinga power cylinder to impart such movement to the chisels.

No references cited.

WILLIAM W. DYER, 111., Primary Examiner.

HARRISON L. HINSON, Examiner.

1. A MACHINE, FOR TANGENTIALLY GROOVING A TUBULAR ARMEND OF A SWITCHARM, COMPRISING SUPPORTING AND LOCATING MEANS FOR SUCH ARM-END, GROOVINGCHISELS DISPOSED IN PARALLEL RELATION ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SUPPORTEDARMEND TANGENTIAL THERETO AND NORMALLY SPACED THEREFROM, AND